Tag Archives: Comics

Today I will finally watch Avengers: Age of Ultron. With this, plus the fact that on Wednesday it was National Superhero Day, means I think it is time I stated which characters from Marvel comics I like the most. But, since I don’t want to leave out DC, I’ll quickly list my favourites from it-

Batman

Martian Manhunter

Aquaman

The Joker

Deadman

Mr Freeze

So now, let’s dive into the world of Marvel, starting with the God of Thunder…

Thor

Thor by xploitme via Flickr.

My favourite Avenger, Thor appeals to me because he is so alien and yet so human. Not only does he possess great strength, he is also a hero through and through. He is one of the most heroic superheroes I have seen, willing to follow orders from lesser beings like Captain America and Iron Man and putting his life at risk for the safety of his friends. Despite this, he is still incredibly funny and has awesome powers, with a giant hammer called Mjolnir and the ability of summon lightning. He started out as a brash and immature god who used his powers to his gain, but thanks to Odin and the Avengers he learns to be a person who helps others. It also helps that I know bits of Thor’s mythology and the Norse gods, so he automatically appeals to me.

Let’s not forget he says one of the coolest lines in comic book history…

“Ultron. We would have words with thee.”

Captain America

Captain America punching Hitler. Image by Rick Marshall via Flickr.

Before The Winter Solider I didn’t think much of Captain America. Afterwards, I loved him. Captain America is the true leader of the Avengers, and it also helps that he is completely awesome. Whether he is a soldier, an Avenger or a spy, Captain America is a great character. He is stuck in a time which he is unfamiliar with and has grown and evolved in the 70 years since World War II. This would drive a normal person insane and upset, but Captain America chooses to push his emotions aside and fight the evils which still threaten the world. He is a strong person and it is easy to see why the Avengers choose to follow him. The true development for me though was in The Winter Soldier, when he uncovers a government conspiracy and discovers that he is truly out of time and that he is irrelevant as the world has moved on. It’s this, plus him being completely amazing at fighting which made him one of my favourites.

Magneto

Magneto by Bill Toenjes via Flickr.

My favourite comic book villain is the Master of Magnetism himself. What is fascinating about him for me is his motivations and goals. He wants to allow mutant kind to live in peace, but to him that means destroying humanity. This makes his rivalry with Professor X incredibly interesting. They don’t hate each other and they want to achieve the same goal in the end, but they each have different ways of getting about to that goal. His backstory of being a Holocaust survivor means he is perfectly justified in his reasoning as he is tired of persecution and hate. His powers are amazing, as he can turn a paper clip into a deadly weapon or the metal inside a person into floating balls, which he can then turn into a disk. He is my absolute favourite villain in any medium.

Ultron

Ultron by sly_3 via Flickr.

I only really became aware of Ultron when the movie was announced, and upon some research and reading I discovered my second favourite Marvel villain. Like Magneto, his aims and reasoning for his actions make sense because of who he is. He was designed by Hank Pym (Tony Stark in the movie) as a peace keeping force, yet was not programmed to have human logic. As a result, he believes the only way to ensure world peace is to destroy all life. It’s flawed logic but it is justifiable. He also has a massive God complex, believing himself to be indestructible and above all life, leading him to create the Vision as a weapon and as a way to prove his might.

So they are my four favourite Marvel characters. I also like Spider-Man but he isn’t in my absolute favourite characters list, despite Spider-Man 2 being an amazing film. I also love the X-Men, but they are a group and I wanted to focus on individual characters for now.